


Creatures of the Dark

by victoriandancer



Category: Soul Eater, 魔法使いの嫁 | Mahou Tsukai no Yome | The Ancient Magus Bride
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fae & Fairies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 04:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriandancer/pseuds/victoriandancer
Summary: Maka is starting a new apprenticeship under the social pariah and mage Soul Evans. As she learns all about how to brew potions and elixers to help people and how to live with the otherworldly fae, she starts to learn that there are those who don't want the fae to interfere with humans.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my piece for Reverb 2018!! Thank you to my partner snowbunnie42 for creating an AMAZING set of 3D dolls and backgrounds to give me the groundwork to create this story! I hope you enjoy it and PLEASE go visit my partner to see her extraordinary art!

Sunlight filtered through the green spring leaves of the trees lining the path, causing shadows to dance on the grass.  The tan dirt path was thrown into varying shades of brown and grey as the breeze worked with the sun and clouds to constantly change the scenery.  Footsteps fell flatly as the occasional car or horse and carriage passed by the pair walking under the trees.

“Are you nervous?” Professor Frank Stein asked his companion, his silver hair and white lab coat fluttering in the breeze.

Maka directed her green eyes up to him for a moment before focusing again on the path. “I don’t know if it’s excitement or nervousness. I’ve known this apprenticeship was coming; I just didn’t realize it could be outside the University.”  She smoothed down her yellow sundress, the long strips of fabric dripped from the empire waste line and shifted in the wind.

“I’ll admit this is a rare opportunity to live with your mentor. Most mentors are based at the University. Mr. Evans doesn’t work for us per say, but has agreed to help once in a while in exchange for our support.” Professor Stein shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. “I just wish he didn’t live so far out into the country. I don’t want you to feel so isolated from the other students.”

“I don’t mind. A change of scenery might not be such a bad thing,” Maka said, her eyes glancing over to the next tree. A sprite with green skin, leaf-like wings, and large black eyes giggled at her before disappearing into a hollow knot of the trunk.

“So what is he like?” she asked, but Professor Stein suddenly turned off the path towards a small one story house at the end of a drive. 

The trees opened up to reveal a clearing for the house, but still secluded it from any neighbors that may be able to see from their windows. They passed through a silver gate to reveal flowers, butterflies, and birds of all colors roaming around the path that continued to the house.  The house was plain, built with brick and dark shingles, but the gardens surrounding it were expansive and flush with life. Fluffy wooly bugs–large sheep-like bugs that flit around and are useful for their wool–meandered here and there, drinking from the bird baths and napping in the shade.  Other sprites were flitting in and around the bushes, flowers, and trees. They all (with the notable exception of the wooly bugs) scattered upon Maka and Professor Stein’s arrival.

“Not sure how he can live here so secluded from people,” the professor said as he knocked on the heavy solid wooden door.

“There’s plenty of life here to make up for it,” Maka replied, reaching down to pet a wooly bug. It curled into her touch much like a cat.

Stein could only hum at her in response before the door opened. Maka expected it to creak, but surprisingly it was silent.  She also expected to find someone at the door, but no one was there. 

“Ohhhh! Are you the new apprentice?” the dramatic voice seemed to come from nowhere, but then Stein looked down. At the base of the door was a black and purple cat, gazing up at them and flicking her tail back and forth happily.

“I’m Professor Stein from the University, and this is Maka, my student. Mr. Evans should be expecting us.”

“Yes! Though he has managed to disappear on me. I’m sure he’ll be back soon! Come in, come in! My name is Blair! I’ll whip up some tea while we wait for him to come back!” the cat left the door open– _ How did she manage to open it in the first place? _ –and her tail beckoned for the pair to walk in.

Maka carefully stepped into living room. It had hardwood floors with an area rug in front of the large brick fireplace. Several wooly bugs were camped out napping in a pile right in front of the cozy fire. Plush upholstered furniture were arranged around the rug in an obvious conversation setting. There was no TV or other electronics lying around. Maka started to doubt her laptop would be able to connect to the internet here. How would she complete her schoolwork?

Blair came strolling back in with a tray of tea and small cakes balanced on the tip of her tail.  Maka could see the residual glimmer of fae magic surrounding it. Was Blair Mr. Evans’ familiar?

“Please, sit! I just heard Soul traipsing through the woods so he should be here any minute!” 

Maka sat gingerly on the loveseat and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear that had escaped from her pigtails. She watched Blair slide the tray to float in front of her and Professor Stein, almost as if there was a coffee table for it to sit on. She grasped a tea cup and saucer and slowly brought it to her lips as she inhaled the lemon steam that infused into her nose.

“Blair! I told you not to send that damn mouse messenger anymore! I almost stepped on it again!” The low, slightly gravelly voice came through the now open doorway, and coming into the room. It must be the mysterious Soul Evans: supposed social pariah and extraordinary Mage.

He scratched at the back of his head, causing his abundance of white hair to shuffle slightly. He had deep red eyes set against tan, almost olive skin. He was tall, close to six feet, even if he didn’t look much older than Maka’s 16 years. How old  _ was _ he?

It was then that she noticed those red,  _ red _ eyes were staring right at her. “Are you the apprentice?”

Maka didn’t even have the chance to dignify  _ that _ with an answer before Professor Stein interjected for her. “Soul, you agreed to take on a student this semester. This is Maka Albarn. Maka, this is Soul Evans, your mentor.”

Maka stood and stuck out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to learning from you!” 

Soul eyed her hand before slowly– _ was his hand trembling? _ –giving it a shake. “Nice to meet you, too.” He may have mumbled it but it was a step in the right direction.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Stein stood up and moved his way out the door. Maka couldn’t think of anything to say to make him stay before he was gone.

“That man gets on my nerves,” Soul said, plopping down onto the couch and rubbing his face. “I’m assuming you met Blair?” Maka nodded, which prompted Soul to continue. “Fair warning, she’s a shifter. She can turn from cat to human and back at will. You’ll recognize her hair so don’t worry, though don’t let her ‘fix’ your wardrobe.”

“Why?” Maka lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

“Just trust me.”

And that was all she could do at the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

The semester moved along swimmingly since that first meeting.  Soul was amazing at explaining different aspects of the fae and their life to her. He seemed to know just the way to word the information so she understood and could even visualize it.  Today, they were shearing the wooly bugs to collect their winter wool.

“Are wooly bugs like sheep and llamas where they rely on shearings to stay healthy?” Maka asked Soul, but not looking at him.  She continued to tickle the wooly bug in her lap, causing it to squirm and lick at her hands. She could rarely bring herself to look at her mentor’s eyes, even during demonstrations.  The red pigment seemed to sear deep into her soul and spread a pleasant warmth throughout her body. She knew she loved looking into his eyes and clinging to that warmth, but she had no idea what he felt as a result. Did he know he could do that to her? Did he know he could cause embers to glow deep in her chest, at the very core of her being?

“No, they don’t need to be sheared,” he answered, gently prodding a wooly bug off his lap to make room for another. “But their wool is highly valuable. It makes great stuffing for blankets and pillows to help people with insomnia sleep.”

“That makes sense. I didn’t realize there was so much magic that could be used without direct intervention, like spells and such.” Maka set the shears down for a moment to take a break.  “I’m going to grab some water. Would you like a glass?”

“Yes please. And please leave some of the fish from the fridge out for Blair,” Soul didn’t look up this time, continuing to shear.

“Something tells me she is fully capable of getting her own fish,” Maka muttered, but to her embarrassment, Soul answered.

“Oh, she is, but sometimes I try to convince myself she needs me as much as I need her.”

Maka giggled and made her escape to the kitchen.

“How are you enjoying your farming lesson?” Blair voice echoed from inside the kitchen. She was on the counter… again.

“Soul isn’t hard to work with,” Maka answered as she filled glasses with water and chilled them with the help of a water sprite that usually enjoyed napping in her hair.  It had made her mousy hair its home ever since she had started wearing it down.

“Well, you seem to be the only one to think so.” Blair flicked her tail. The fridge opened and a prepared plate of sardines floated over to her spot on the counter.

Maka winked at her. “I won’t tell him if you don’t.” She went back outside to the fading sound of Blair’s giggles.

“Here’s some–” Maka couldn’t finish her sentence. Rather than shearing, she found Soul asleep against the tree he had used as a chair. Five or six wooly bugs were curled up in the cloak bunched up next to him.  Two more were on his lap. She ducked her head to hide her smile, and possibly a small blush. He looked so peaceful. So at ease. As if there were no concerns in the world that could possibly disturb him. She hoped that one day, she could experience that peace too.

 

*******************************************************

 

A few weeks later, Maka was stuck on a potion. It was meant to help people who suffer from insomnia fall asleep and remain asleep. For some reason, she just couldn’t get it right. She would boil rosewater, add 5 sprigs of lavender (her whole room smelled  _ amazing _ ), a cotton-ball-sized clump of wooly-bug fluff, and let it simmer for 2 hours. She sprinkled some on her pillow and tried to nap. What resulted after 5 minutes on the pillow was no sleep followed by 5 hours of intense, manic focus which culminated in 7 newly made pillows, Blair bathed, and her own hair styled in ringlets. 

Needless to say, she had some questions.

Maka padded her way to Soul’s study, her potion-book in her hands, open to the page with the offending recipe. “Soul? Can I ask you a question about the sleeping potion?” There was no answer. “Soul?”

This time, there was a  _ thump _ and a grunt from behind the door. She heard something metal hit the floor.

“Soul!” Maka dropped the book and slammed open the door.  She darted through the study to the open door of the bathroom.  Blood dripped from Soul’s jawline onto the counter surrounding the sink.  The red stood out against the stark white and nearly distracted her from Soul’s equally red eyes staring at her.  The pupils were pinpricks and the white’s were invaded by black lines. It was only then she noticed the red drops were quickly being taken over by black blood dripping from his wound.

“Soul? What happened?” Maka took a step into the bathroom, but that triggered Soul’s lunge for the floor. He gripped the shaving knife and laughed maniacally.  The sound ripped through Maka’s heart as he sliced through his forearm. 

“NO!” Maka screeched and reached for the blade, struggling to take it from his grip. Black blood stained her white shirt and jeans as it poured from his arm wound. The small cut on his jaw had already clotted.  Soul and she both slipped on the blood and came crashing to a heap on the floor.

“Soul, look at me!” she tossed the blade as far as possible, and it bounced into the study out of sight. With her hands free, yet covered in black blood, she gripped his face in her hands and forced him to meet her eyes. “Soul! Snap out of it!”

It only took a moment for his pupils to dilate back to a normal appearance, and the black veins in the whites of his eyes faded to soft red. Even the slice on his arm was clotting, if poorly, with a reddish scab. “Soul, what happened?”

“I’m sorry,” he diverted it eyes down and took a deep breath. “Just one of the demons I fight.” He backed away from her grip and shakily stood. “Go ahead and throw those clothes out back. I’ll burn them with the next bonfire.”

“Let me take care of that,” Maka stood with him, eyeing his arm. “It’s pretty deep and should be stitched.” She could see the relief in his eyes when she didn’t push him to explain what had just happened.  A quick nod was followed by him sitting on the toilet, holding his arm out while Maka prepared some first aid supplies. She may not know what had just happened, but him cutting himself was the trigger. What kind of madness caused someone to want to slice their own skin open?

 

*******************************************************

 

A knock broke Maka out of her thoughts. 

She stood and closed the spell-book before striding to the front door. In the six months she’s been here, no one other than Professor Stein or customers have ever come to visit. Even then, he had only come once to check in on her studies. Customers only stayed for a moment to pick up their previously-ordered medicine. Maka expected this to be another customer, so she brushed her shirt and shorts off, she opened the door.

A young woman with  _ long _ black hair smiled down at her. The woman wasn’t haughty, she was just  _ tall _ . Her tan skin revealed how many hours she spent in the sun so far this summer, and maybe even her whole life. Deep violet eyes gazed warmly at Maka. “My name is Tsubaki, I believe Mr. Evans is expecting me,” she said, holding out her hand.

“My name is Maka,” she answered, shaking Tsubaki’s hand.  “I’m Soul’s apprentice. I’ll go let him know you’re here. Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please, that would be wonderful.” Tsubaki’s soft voice was like a melody to Maka’s ears after only having Soul and Blair to listen to this semester.  Tsubaki wasn’t a regular customer, but Soul hadn’t told Maka to be expecting her. Did he forget to mention it (as he did with every other order), or was this actually a surprise?

Maka walked into the kitchen to find Blair, in human form and actually clothed, already making tea. “Go sit with her,” the shifter said, “I bet you two will get along!”

“Do you know her?” Maka asked, taking the tray of cookies Blair had made this morning. 

“Tsubaki lives in a town filled with fae life. She comes by every now and then for Soul’s advice on how to co-exist with them.”

“Oh, ok.” Maka made her way out to the living room and set down the cookies. “Soul should be by in a minute!” She wasn’t going to mention that he was just waking up for the day and trying to get his hair tamed. Seriously, 11 am was  _ not _ a time to be getting up for a professional mage!

“Oh, I figured he would be just getting up. I wanted to catch him before he did any errands for the day,” Tsubaki smiled as she answered. “I’m just hoping he can help.”

“I’m here, I’m here.” Soul’s voice was still rough from sleep, and Maka’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t in his usual robe today. He only had a white button up shirt and jeans. Even his feet were bare! Did he know Tsubaki that well? “What can I do for you?”

“Have you ever heard of people being possessed?” Tsubaki asked, setting her teacup down.

“Possessed? What are they acting like?” Soul asked, his eyes narrowing. Maka didn’t see him contemplate like this before. Usually he spewed out an answer so he could go back to sleep.

“It’s odd. First their eyes turn black. Their pupils shrink to the size of a pin-point! And then, they start grabbing for any sharp object they can find and they cut themselves!” Tsubaki shuddered before continuing. “When they bleed… it’s black!”

Maka’s thoughts immediately turned to the one and only time she had seen Soul bleed.  He had done exactly as Tsubaki described: bled black and tried to bleed more. She eyed her mentor for a moment, and she knew then he experienced this plague for himself.

Soul wasn’t looking at Tsubaki. He was staring at the ground, with his elbows resting on his knees and his back hunched. Even his white hair hung in his face. “Has anyone new moved in recently?”

Tsubaki thought for a moment. “Yes! A doctor moved in! Or is she a nurse? Anyway, she has long braided blonde hair and has a teenager with her.”

“Medusa.” Soul stood up. “We’ll help you. We’ll come out in a few days. If you can, make sure Medusa doesn’t skip town before then.”

“Who is Medusa?” Maka asked as she stood with Tsubaki. Tsubaki shook Soul’s hand before turning to Maka.

“We thought she was a doctor. She has been using a different name, so I didn’t realize it was her. Medusa is a witch that dabbles in human experimentation,” she said, shuddering lightly. 

“Have you known her before?” Maka asked Soul, but he didn’t answer her as he saw Tsubaki out. Only when he had the door closed did he turn to Maka.

“Medusa came to my town a long time ago. I was so young and my brother was sick.” He didn’t meet her eyes, but she could see they were clouded. His mind was not in the present with her. “I begged her to heal him. I had nothing to pay her, so she said if I helped her with some science experiments, she would treat Wes. I didn’t know she would experiment on  _ me _ . I didn’t know she would inject black blood  _ in me _ .” Maka jumped as Soul slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the drywall. “And now, I’m cut off from most of the fae because they can’t stand to be near the black blood!”

“What is black blood?” Maka asked, stepping closer.

“Black blood is a curse. It’s exactly as it sounds: blood that is colored black. It causes the host to lose sanity and start hurting themselves. But that is just a side effect. The main purpose of using it is to stop the host from calling on the fae for help with magic.”

“The wooly bugs don’t mind you,” Maka reminded him, seeing his eyes glisten with unshed tears. Maybe he didn’t have any tears left to shed.

“These wooly bugs have become accustomed to the presence of black blood and don’t mind. If more migrate it, they avoid me until convinced I won’t infect them as well.”

“What are we going to do?” Maka had the strange urge to grasp his hand, and to her surprise, he intertwined his fingers with hers.

“We’re going to stop Medusa. We’re going to eliminate the source of the black blood.”

She didn’t ask how they would do that, or how he had managed to hold onto his sanity for so long.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Maka and Soul arrived at Tsubaki’s village, which was eerily quiet for a sunny Saturday afternoon.  They stood in the main town square, and not even Tsubaki came to greet them. She had heeded their advice and taken her fiance out of town and out of harm’s way.  That just left Soul and Maka to face the black blood alone.

“Do you have any questions?” Soul asked, his long black jacket swaying softly in the breeze.

An air sprite flitted around Maka’s shoulders before burrowing under her hair. She wore a long black jacket as well, but it spread out behind her legs and cut across her waist to reveal a plaid skirt and her yellow sweater. Easy clothes to move in. She needed to perform the ritual correctly in order to purge the black blood.

“No, I’ve got this.”

She knew Soul’s red eyes burned into her, as if he wanted to say more. She couldn’t say more now because there was movement on the other side of the square.

A teenager in a long black dress stepped forward, dragging a sword along the pavement. The blade was as black as Soul’s blood. Their purple hair fluttered as the breeze picked up. Maka could hear the air sprite giggling behind her ear.

“They’re the source.” Maka knew it in her core. She could feel the insanity pulsing at her mind, at her heart. It unsettled her deeply, not ever having something as murky and foggy and  _ stagnant _ press against her soul.

“Yes.” Soul’s voice was strained, and Maka dared a glance at him to see the sweat beading at his forehead. She knew he couldn’t handle being this close to the source of the infection. 

“Get back. I know what to do,” Maka said as a water sprite joined the air sprite on her shoulders. They matched in their blue flowing gowns, though where one flitted around on wings, the other moved like silk through the air.  

Soul took a step back. “I’ll stick around, but I can’t help. If that blade touches me, I’ll be gone.”

She looked back at him, meeting his red eyes with her green ones. “I’ll be-” She was cut off by a screeching laughter coming from the teenager. No… the teen wasn’t moving. It was the  _ sword _ .

“Crona! Get them out of our way!” Red lips released spittle in every direction as it shouted at the teenager.

“I don’t know how! Maybe they’re friendly and we won’t have to!” The desperation leaked through Crona’s voice as they started to shake. “I don’t know what to do with her!”

“Crona.” A woman’s voice came from behind the teen. “Get rid of them. Think nothing more of it. Eat their souls.” The woman stepped from the shadows and joined Crona’s side. She had blonde hair twisted in a braid in front of her chest and odd slanted eyes.

_ Snake _ , Maka thought, and knew this had to be Medusa. She raised her palms in front of her, knowing she needed to get started with the purging. That sword had to be destroyed. As she focused, she could see Crona had been overtaken with the sword’s influence and could no longer fight it off. They were merely a puppet with strings in Medusa’s hands.

The water and air sprites danced down her arms and landed in her palms, their dresses billowing in the wind. Maka could feel the magic pooling through her heart and soul as the sprites gifted her the pure, untainted fae power.  Closing her eyes, she could sense Crona take a step back.

“What is she doing?” they cried out, “I don’t want to do this!” Even through their protests, they raised the sword in front of them which had started to vibrate oddly.

Maka took a step forward, her toe pointing much like a dancer’s. The sprites lifted from her hands, but stuck around her head, lending her power as she needed it. She could feel it pooling, and felt the exact moment to release. She let the wind move through her blood and extend from her hands, creating a cutting wind that targeted Crona with precision to cut across his legs.

It was immediately effective. The teen fell back and dropped the sword.  It clattered to the ground, but Maka’s concentration was broken before she could gather enough power for another blow to the sword.

“MEDUSA!” Soul’s voice rumbled through her as she heard his steps fading in the distance. Why had he been so close? And why was he going after the witch?

“Soul, no!” Maka cried out, but then the pain ripped through her torso. Across her back a slice opened up and she could feel her blood leaking out at an alarming rate, soaking her shirt. Glancing back, she saw Crona way too close to her, and the sword was dripping with her blood.

Backing away, her breathing was labored and each movement introduced new pain through her back muscles.  She worked through another breath to center herself before the water sprite rejoined her. Dew beaded up from the grass and worked towards Crona. “I’m sorry for what has happened to you,” she said quietly as it gathered around their feet. “I’m going to free you from the curse of the black blood.”

The clear, diamond-like water started to cover their shoes, much to the distress of Crona. “What are you doing? Stop that! I can’t swim!”

Maka shook her head. “It won’t hurt. Please relax.” Another pained breath and the water centered around the swords handle before climbing up the blade. “In a moment you will be free.”

The blade screamed, it’s wide red lips nearly separating with its need to get away from the pure water. Water was everything black blood wasn’t. It was clarity and goodness and purity. Black blood was plague, infestation, and stagnation. The blade started to crack, causing Crona to drop it.

As soon as it hit the rest of the water on the ground, it shattered, and Maka dropped to her knees, out of breath. Darkness was closing in at the edge of her vision, and the last thing she saw was Soul running for her.

 

*******************************************************

 

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“I have to change the bandage!”

“You could be more gentle!”

“We’re you ever gentle changing the bandages on my arm?”

Maka had no answer for that. She was laying front-down on Soul’s bed while he treated the gash running along her back and side. He was rubbing an ointment he had made himself while an ice sprite napped on a particularly swollen spot on her back, acting as an ice pack of sorts.

After a moment, Maka asked, “What happened to Medusa?”

“She got away. I only saw a glimpse of her before she disappeared. She’ll show up again somewhere and we’ll stop her from infecting any more people.” Maka couldn’t see his eyes, but he had stopped tending to her back. She could still feel his hands shaking.

“You’re right. We will. And Soul?” 

The tending started again. “What is it?”

“Can I continue being your apprentice? I know the semester is almost over and I’m supposed to pick another internship, but-”

“Of course.” The finally in Soul’s voice unknotted the tension from her chest. “You’ll always have a home here.”

Maka stood up and pulled her shirt back down to cover herself. “Thank you.” she grinned widely and grasped his hand. “Because here is home.” 


End file.
